Dwight Howard was ejected 1:18 before halftime in Toronto on Sunday in a ruling by referee Eli Roe with which Metta World Peace and other Lakers vehemently disagreed.

The double technical fouls assessed by Roe on Howard and Toronto swingman Alan Anderson for getting tangled up ended Howard's game because Howard had drawn a technical foul in the first quarter for arguing that referee Ken Mauer wasn't calling Toronto fouls on Howard's offensive drives. Two technical fouls mean automatic ejection.

After a too-brief burst of Lakers energy came after Howard's dismissal, the Lakers lost their spirit again, and lost a game again.

It was enough to prompt an extended conversation in the Lakers' postgame locker room between World Peace and Pau Gasol before either hit the showers.

“Everybody has to contribute to the team,” World Peace said, explaining the talk, “because we're going to need everybody.”

Howard's absence Sunday gave more opportunities to Gasol, Earl Clark and Antawn Jamison, but the Lakers still lost.

“I don't want to talk about it,” a clearly frustrated Howard said about his ejection as he quickly exited the Lakers' locker room after the game.

Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni said about the ejection: “I feel sorry for Dwight.”

World Peace said Anderson initiated the contact and added: “It's OK. He (the referee) made a mistake. Everybody makes mistakes.”

“I really don't agree with that one — at all,” Kobe Bryant said. “What's a player supposed to do? A guy just confronted him as he tried to walk back up the court. The official told me, ‘Well, he should just walk away.' I said, ‘Well, which direction? Should he just turn around and just walk to the bench?' ”

NASH HOMECOMING A FLOP

When Steve Nash makes his much-anticipated return to Phoenix at month's end, the Lakers will have a familiar face on the Suns' side also.

Lindsey Hunter, who was a backup guard on the Lakers' 2002 NBA championship team, was announced as Phoenix's interim head coach Sunday. The Lakers traded Hunter the next year on draft day, more confident in the health of Derek Fisher, who had broken his foot twice previously, and acquired perimeter shooter Tracy Murray while trading up in the draft to pick guard Kareem Rush.

The Suns' decision to part ways with Alvin Gentry as head coach quite likely will lead to Gentry coming to the Lakers to join D'Antoni, under whom he worked in Phoenix. The Lakers asked D'Antoni to keep Mike Brown's assistants on staff for this season, but expect significant changes for next season. No current Lakers assistant coach is under contract beyond this season.

The Lakers start their season-long seven-game trip Jan. 30 in Phoenix, where Nash played 10 years over two stints and won the NBA MVP in 2005 and '06. Nash already had one homecoming Sunday in Toronto, as he's a big deal in his native country.

Nash, who turns 39 on Feb. 7, also considered joining the Raptors in free agency over the summer in what would've been a lucrative but likely non-contending situation late in his career. Nash was also interested in going to the Knicks but ultimately preferred a sign-and-trade situation to end up with the Lakers on a three-year deal.

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